Car starts idles, then when i start to drive it acts as if out of gas
I cleaned and sprayed engine compartment that is when this all started, i changed the plugs alternator,and fuel filter so far, what could have got wet or plugged with grease , or come loose , please help.
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first i would look for a vacuum leaks get it as close to idle as you can when cold and spray carb cleaner around and also check to see if the egr valve is stuck open this will act as a vacuum leak but not detect as one spraying carb cleaner around carb cleaner with change the engine speed near a vacuum leak
You have a vacuum leak some where. Engine uses vacuum to burn gas vapors in gas tank. This is the EVAP SYSTEM. This system can detect a small leak or large leak. (gas cap light.) But there are also other items on the car that use vacuum to do work. The PCV circuit . This vents the engine's crank case. Also power brakes and some ac/heater controls. Now it sound like a good size vacuum leak if car idle is "high". I would say open the hood and listen. When car first starts idle should be around 1500 rpm or so. If you have a tachometer in car. then as it starts to warm up the idle should start to go down. Then listen for a hiss around the center of engine compartment. the black tube and ribs looking thing is your intake where vacuum ports would start. Check line or hoses to see if cracked or broken. Ford/Mercury like to use hard plastic for lines and become brittle after a while and break.
I'd pull the "idle air control valve " (located on side of throttle body near front) off, and use some throttle body spray cleaner on it & the port it came out of. Spray pintle (pointed part) good to remove any gunk etc. Re-install, it & try it. if it cures your problem for a while & starts to act up again, replace it.
Ckean throttle plate inside throttle body...They tend to get dirtier than their counterparts in carbureted engines due to lack of fuel spray that kept them clean. If no luck with that, clean idle air control valve on TB. When doing this, don't turn the plunger, just clean with carb spray and replace. do not loose "o" ring seal. Good luck
Common issue at the shop (i'm a ford technician), here is what I do to correct it. Here is the most common cause of surges and stalls at stops and low erratic idle speed and rough idle, it is the idle speed control air-bypass valve and throttle valve (IAC for short), they get full of gunk over the miles and cause idle issues (stalls, low idle) like yours, Get a can of intake cleaner from any local parts store, not carb spray, intake cleaner, it is made by a company called CRC, remove the air intake hose to the engine, hold the idle high so the engine won't stall, then spray the can of cleaner into the intake while keeping the engine running, use at least 1/2 the can, shut down the engine and disconnect the battery for 5 minutes, then restart and complete a number of mixed driving cycles, town, freeway, stop and go etc., after a few days the problem will go away as the system will relearn to the clean intake.
First thing I'd do is remove idle speed motor, or idle air control, same thing, different names. remove wire connector, remove motor, and get some throttle body spray cleaner, and spray shaft & tip of motor well & clean it all up, as well as spray in to port (hole) that it came out of. Re-install & try that. They are pretty common problem. If it cure it for a while, then starts to act up again, replace it, and clean port well before installing new one. here's a link to give you an idea of what your looking for, click on pictures to expand them.
This sounds like a bad leak at the intake. Have your helper start the car, get it at a low steady rpm and spray a bit of starting fluid to find the exact spot. The engine will pick up. Frankster016
Most likely a dirty idle speed control system follow the guidelines below to clean it.
Throttle Body Cleaning on vehicles without electronic throttle control (most 2003 and down)
You can in most cases repair this slow speed stall or unstable idle by cleaning the engine throttle valve and the idle speed control valve using a product called CRC Spray Throttle valve cleaner. Spray the cleaner into the air intake of the engine with the hose removed from the throttle body, the engine will try to stall so hold up the idle speed manually. Once you have used up about 1/2 can of the cleaner stall the engine out while spraying and turn the key off, disconnect the negative battery cable for 5 minutes and then reconnect and drive the car for a about 25 miles of varied driving modes. If this doesn't cure the problem you may need the fuel injectors professionally cleaned by the dealer service dept.
it sounds to me that you idle controll valve isnt responding (could be dirty) get a can of carb cleaner and clean the thottle body inside and with the engine running. squirt just a little and the engine will start to stall and the idle air controll will start to open ( you will hear it start sucking) then spray more in sperts try to keep the engine running at idle . this will make the engine RPM's change and open and close the idle controll valve thus cleaning it. when done save some carb spray. put the air cleaner hose back on. and start the engine and with the engine idling spray around the intake and base of throttle body if the rpms change you have a vaccume leak than will need to be repaired.
good luck
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